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Sleeping Giant State Park State Park in Hamden, CT.... Sleeping Giant? How about a sleeping giant squid
without its long tentacles? Sleeping Giant State Park
in Hamden, CT gets its name due to the hilly profile
that resembles a man...a giant man. I'm thinking
Sleeping Giant Squid State Park but that's neither
here nor there since I'm sure I'm in the minority with
that one. The facts are that Sleeping Giant State Park
sports miles of trails to hike, convenience to get to
them, excellent trail maintenance, with a tall stone
tower capping off the park affording some cool views
of the surrounding area. The skyline of New Haven and
the Long Island Sound are clearly visible from the
tower and especially so on a crystal clear day with
no haze on the horizon. Sleeping Giant has a
labyrinth of paths as any good giant worth it's giant
status should. Easy, moderate, difficult hiking can
all be planned out so it's appropriate for all ages
and abilities. Sleeping Giant is a wonderfully, busy
state park that is well maintained and cared for.

Sleeping Giant is a short bus ride from downtown New
Haven so it sees a lot of visitors each year. It's
also right across the street from Quinnipiac College, http://www.quinnipiac.edu,
which means student outings are common. And you may
have to navigate the winding trails around whining
school children (story below) out for a field trip. But the hiking
is well worth it as it's one of those spots that seems
quite active down in the parking lot area but soon you
can disappear into a serene forest and be rewarded
with peace and quiet and wonderful views in no time
at all.

The most popular trail is the Tower Trail that winds
up in a series of switchbacks until you reach the
stone tower and 360 degree views. The blue trail is
the Quinnipiac Trail that traverses over the top of
hills that give the park it's name. The white trail
begins the Tower Trail from the parking lot and joins
the blue for a short distance then it's all blue trail
to the tower. It's the easiest way to get to the tower
though it may not be the fastest as the main map area
indicates. It's a wide gravel and dirt road for a
good distance before becoming a typical forest trail
up in the hills. The blue trail intersects with the
white trail at times which may confuse but staying
with the blue trail once you join it will definitely
get you to the tower views you're likely there to see.

I had the misfortune of visiting Sleeping Giant State
Park during a late June weekday...forgetting all about
the traditions some schools have of slacking off the
last week of school to take field trips out into
nature as a way to embrace the nearing summer
vacation. A group of at least 30 elementary students
(all girls) were about to head out on the Tower Trail
for what was obviously a first hike for these city
dwellers. So I hustled up and got on the trail just
before them to avoid a major traffic jam. The Tower
Trail has a series of switchbacks and sure
enough...they cheated. They outsmarted me, outsmarting
them. Thinking I was free and clear of them I turned
back around a corner to notice their teacher/counselor
leading them through a short cut which was technically
an illegal move since the signs clearly asked visitors
to stay on designated trails to protect the park's
ecosystem. But who's gonna confront a group of 30 to
teach them proper trail etiquette. Apparently not me.
They were having a great time with excited voices
filling up the lower park like a choir so I just
stopped and watched as they all poured back out onto
the main trail causing me to reach for my map and a
choose a back up plan. They were keeping an Olympic
pace, singing, talking, squealing with adventurous
excitement, with a few out front boldly bragging
they'd be up top in ten minutes. One teacher was
singing a song as I stopped to watch a traffic jam
clog up the trail ahead of me. They were making good
time and it was great to see them immersed in nature.

I had a choice. Slowly follow behind them or find
another way. I knew they'd be sucking wind in about 5
minutes given their rabbit pace, clogging up the trail
and probably whining, so I got out my trusty park map
and deduced I'd have to take a longer route to the top
but I'd get there in peace and a lot faster than
following after them. And so it was as I made it to
the top by taking the yellow trail to the second red
trail then up to the blue. I was alone the whole way
and surrounded by a quiet forest hike for the most
part. It's amazing how a nice forest can gobble up
the sounds of the modern world. The tall hardwoods and
lush ground bushes creates an acoustic wonder. The
sounds coming from the playing fields of Quinnipiac
College and the main road eventually ease away and the
sounds of nature take over. Chipmunk chirps and the
usual songbirds that love hillsides greet you and if
you pay attention you'll realize just how lush the
forest is from floor to canopy. It was a steep hike
at times but mostly just continually going up and in
no time at all I had crested Mt. Carmel, took a right
and bounded up towards the tower following the blue
trail.

The tower is hidden by the lush forest and comes upon
you almost suddenly making for a good visual
experience. It looks regal, strong, sturdy, and just
says "come up here!". It brings the kid out in you
and the paved walkway up circling around the castle is
much easier than the usual clunky staircase you'd
normally get at a place like this. I lingered taking
in the nice views and chatted up an older man with his
dog at the tower. I had plenty of time to soak in the
long distant views, admire the tower's architecture,
then begin a slow meander back on the blue trail I had
intended to take up before encountering the elementary
students. Heading down the blue trail I eventually
heard a hint of them again a good distance down still
just making their way up the side of Mt. Carmel.
Mountain Laurel's pink and white blossoms added to the
forest serenity I had all the way up to the top and
now the way down. Soon I came upon the school girls
and their leaders.

They were toast...no songs, no loud voices, no
bragging, no record setting rabbits out front. They'd
been humbled by nature in a way only nature can do.
Some of these girls were tough on the outside but this
trail had them begging for mercy. A few were arguing
with their teachers that it was the white trail they
should be taking not the blue trail. They had expected
to already be at the top given the effort they already
had put in. Their initial fast pace and talking took
the wind out of their sails early on and now they had
to just suck it up and move along. They were learning
many valuable lessons that were literally being taught
by their teacher but also in other ways you can only
experience by being out on a trail. I didn't have the
heart to tell any of them that they weren't as close
as they thought they were but that they should listen
to their leader and follow the blue trail. Those
children were going to get a nice reward and even the
tough ones were going to admit they accomplished
something to be proud of so I didn't worry too much
about their predicament and almost wished I could be
their to see their bravado and bragging reemerge as
they conquered a tower. I'm sure there were lots of
proud smiles, throwing of arms around each other, and
a nice sense of accomplishment. But they were at
least a half hour from that and their cacophony of low
volume "are we there yet" voices soon faded back
giving me a serene forest all to myself.

The forest was a thick hardwood canopy, lush and full
on the ground, providing shade, beauty, song birds,
butterflies, chipmunks, blooming Mountain Laurel, and
a peak through to a crystal clear blue sky. Nature
just has that way of giving you want you want on a
hike even in a place like Sleeping Giant where some
days it'll seem as if too many people are going to
ruin any chance of what you're there for.

A steep section of downhill blue trail led to the
spacious Tower Trail path that eventually spilled back
out into the parking lot area. A handful of hikers
here and there as I made my way back but nature was
the busiest thing about the place. A grand view of
some dramatic rocky brown stone cliffs capped off a
nice hike before the key unlocked a hot car that had
been baking in the sun and brought me back to reality.

A squid or a giant, the park is a nice place to escape
to. There are miles of trails to choose from but most
will want to hike up to the tower since it's the
centerpiece of the park. But you don't have to of
course and if you like to take the path least taken
then grab a map and plan out a totally different route
that will likely keep you from a group of 30 school
children - though that in itself can be entertaining
and inspiring - and the tower certainly isn't the only
spot with scenic views. Sleeping Giant State Park is
clean, organized, beautiful, scenic, convenient,
peaceful, quiet (but you may have to hike for that
quiet), and generally pleasant any time of year. It's
one you'll want to check off on your list of hikes...
and then perhaps a short car ride to the Long Island
Sound for sunset? Sounds like a plan.

Visit the official website, http://dep.state.ct.us/stateparks/parks/sleepinggiant.htm, for more information and to
download a trail map. There is a small fee per car on
weekends and holidays and the following directions
should get you there without any trouble at all. Easy
place to find since it's literally right across the
street from the Quinnipiac College sign.

Directions: From I-91: take Exit 10. Then get onto
Route 40 connector and stay on until the end. At the
light, take a right onto Route 10N drive 1? miles then
take a right onto MT Carmel Avenue. The park entrance
is on the left across from Quinnipiac University.

From Wilbur Cross Parkway: take Exit 61. Go north onto
Whitney Avenue for 3 miles and take a right onto MT.
Carmel Avenue. The park entrance is on the left across
from Quinnipiac University.

From I-84 to Cheshire: take Route 70S onto Route 10
south drive 5 miles. Then take a left at the light
onto MT. Carmel Avenue. The park entrance is on the
left across from Quinnipiac University.

Directions: From the center of Hamden, CT take Route 272 north and a few miles out of town on your left will be Tobey Hill Road. Drive down Tobey Hill and the parking lot of Sleeping Giant State Park is on your right. Trail head is clearly marked and you just follow the trail straight into the forest. Here is a link to the official trail map http://dep.state.ct.us/stateparks/maps/sleepingfalls.pdf